As facial recognition systems become increasingly accurate, more governments and law enforcement organizations are tapping them to verify people's identities, nab criminals and keep transactions secure. In recent months, France's government announced a nationwide facial recognition ID program, a UK court ruled that live facial recognition doesn't violate privacy rights and research revealed that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and the FBI are using facial recognition to apprehend undocumented immigrants. Most of this activity is undertaken in the name of safety and security, but it is also raising major red flags among privacy advocates. They argue that the technology--which can scan and identify faces without consent in crowded streets, retail stores and sports stadiums--is predatory and invasive. Among consumers, the jury is still out.

Artificial intelligence has arrived, and most consumers have crossed paths with it. This could be using chatbots for customer service, using facial recognition for identification or having voice conversations with a digital assistant through a smart speaker or smartphone. A new global study found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of consumers are aware of having had interactions enabled by artificial intelligence. The study comprised a survey of 10,000 consumers in 10 countries conducted by Capgemini. Although the majority (69%) of consumers were satisfied with their AI-enabled interactions, most (55%) would prefer that interactions occur with a mix of AI and humans.